Creatures of the Night
by Prisoner of Readers
Summary: I've heard of all those ridiculous rumors about those creatures of the night and about how scared those creatures are of the light, how dead they are, and how high their senses are. I am truly disgusted and appalled by these creatures of the night and their effect on people. I Hinamori Amu will never fall for the deceitful charm of those creatures nor do I hope to ever meet one.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own anything. **

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!

Hi, I am Hinamori Amu. As you can probably guess, I've just woken up; and I'd prefer not to describe how imperfect and horrid I look in the morning. Instead of all that gruesome talk, I'll fill you in on my life in this small town. My existence holds no special value to anyone, even myself; but don't feel sad for me. All that would accomplish would be giving me a painful headache and bringing me more self-loathing than I already do.

The only thing I'm proud of myself is that I have a firm grasp of reality, unlike the other people in this town. Rumors of "the creatures of the night" are going around and being used for love novels, folktales, bedtime stories, etc. Mothers tell their children of the creatures that can't enter a house without permission and that can't stand the sunlight; ergo their children don't answer the door for people they don't know, sneak out, and talk to strangers in the night. Girls use these mysterious creatures for their fantasies. Authors assist their fantasies by writing stories about them and making those nightly critters out to be these gorgeous, strong "gods". The elderly scared of growing up make folktales about these eternal people, in hopes that they could go back in time. These affects they have on people truly disgust and appall me. I, Hinamori Amu, will never fall for the deceitful charms of those creatures nor do I hope to ever meet one.

I would love to drone on and on about them, but what would the point about it all be? I'm sorry for getting entirely off topic and going on about those creatures. I have a habit of getting lost in my head. Putting that all aside, I'm just your typical average girl. That's all about me. Right now, I'm ready for school. I have cleansed my mouth and body and have donned on my basic school uniform-a white, button up blouse; black blazer; dark red tie; red, knee-length skirt; knee-high, white socks; and my black flats. My pink hair was tied up in a ponytail. Don't even comment on my hair; it is natural bubblegum, not that emo dyed pink.

I grabbed a piece of toast and jammed it into my mouth and ran out the door of my apartment. Yes, I live alone. My parents are… complicated. My dad acts as if I don't exist, and my mother doesn't exist in this world. Anyway, I'm heading onward to the demonic gates of school.

**~Creatures of the Night~**

As I sat in my chair, my amber eyes couldn't stop themselves but take in this princely beauty, who I considered my childhood friend. His incredibly pale skin, surprisingly devoid of any color, brought out the tad bit of blond from his silver-blond hair. His bright ruby eyes grabbed hold of your attention and wouldn't let you stray off. The tenderness in his eyes and his smile reassured you to rely on him. That trait of him made me doubt him every time I thought about it. The dead feeling in his eyes spread the doubt and uncertainty even more than it was. Some days, those eyes would actually glow—and I mean really glow—with a fervent desire for something. Those were the days when I could feel the doubt and fear almost taking hold of me. No, what am I thinking? I shouldn't think about Tadase like that, especially when he's right in front of me.

"Amu-chan, have you ever thought about joining the sports club? The coaches have seen you play in PE, and honestly, I think one of them almost had a heart attack from seeing you play. Besides, it would be a great change of pace in your life, if you did join." He donned that tender smile. This kind-hearted childhood friend of mine was yet again trying to pull me from my lonely life.

"No thanks, Tadase-kun." I timidly rejected his offer, covering all my worries and woes with a smile.

I know joining the sports club would be a great social change, but my lonely life is the life that's suited best for me. Being a student president, like Tadase, would be too much for me to handle. I couldn't solve everyone's problems or make this school better. Being a sports member, like they want me to be, is not me. Running around on a limited area is far too constricting, even for a loner like me. An astronomy club or planetarium would be a great place to be.

"…u, Amu-chan, are you listening to me?" Tadase called for me, waving his hand in front of my face. His eyes did their trick bringing me back right out of my reverie.

"Sorry, Tadase-kun, I just got lost in thought. I'll be heading home. You should probably be getting to that family reunion you've been telling me about, as well." Said I, rising from my wooden chair and grabbing my bag.

"It's not exactly a family reunion. It's more like a friend reunion." The blonde corrected me, pushing his books into his bag.

"If it really was a friend reunion, I would be there, wouldn't I?" I remarked on his lack of evidence. I received back that same uncertain expression he would give me in times like these.

"Well, it's for _special_ friends. Besides, it's a reunion. I see you practically every day. I wouldn't consider that reuniting." He, with his smart-aleck mouth, corrected me for another time, before we left the classroom.

**~Creatures of the Night~**

Jamming the apartment key into the doorknob and turning it, I shoved the door open. With a kick, I shut the door. Obviously, I had jerked the key from the hole and had thrust it back into my pocket, before I shut the door. This rough way of handling with the door was my own way of venting out my frustration. My own father had forsaken my existence, and he's probably spending the time of his life without me in the picture.

"I'm home!" I shouted to no one in particular. Saying it gave me a slight bit of comfort, oddly. Yeah, how pathetic of me! Pretending I have someone to come home to was just too childish of me. I should probably grow out of it.

I made my way to the kitchen for a bottle of water. I did feel a bit dehydrated from the sunny, warm day. My hand, firmly grasping the handle, opened the refrigerator. The other reached into the cold depths of it, and my long fingers slipped around the ice cold bottle, which slightly numbed my fingers. Bringing my hand back to my side, I closed the refrigerator door and rushed off to do what I knew best—being by myself with no one to disappoint.

**I didn't update my other story, Best Choice, last week because I was just… "busy". I'll stick with that excuse, but honestly, I just didn't do it. I was caught up with life and wanted to just play around last week. I would've slid in Ikuto and other characters, but I'll probably put that in the next chapter because the first chapter should only give her daily routine before everything happened. Anyway, Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own anything.**

The girl with a pink braid over her shoulder pressed her palms and splayed her long, slim fingers on the glass door's cold surface. With eyes shut, she leaned her head forward until her forehead could feel the smooth touch of the balcony door. She deeply inhaled the night air and slowly exhaled that refreshing breath. Lately, she just couldn't sleep. The night lay right before her; that tormented and taunted a dark, wild part of her who wanted to escape the small confines of this worldly place to the world of dreams awaiting her. On the other hand, a docile part of her embraced this small, ordinary place and feared the dangers of the world outside.

"Tadase…" A thieving voice snatched her from her reverie. In that moment, her fiery amber eyes blazed open. Finally following her wild side, she opened the door to the shadows. She expected to see the owner of this lovely voice at her first step outside, but she was met with the familiar silver blond hair she always saw.

"_Ikuto, stay inside."_ Amu's sensitive ears had barely caught that infrasonic sound. She would have asked him why he was hiding him from her, but he didn't give her a moment to speak.

"Why are you out?" Tadase asked.

"Um… Well, I couldn't sleep. I-I feel so awake right now. How was your friend reunion?" Amu stammered at the sudden question, deciding not to bring up the topic of the man in his house. Some things were better left hidden.

"It went like any other friend reunion goes." He responded.

"Well, I haven't been to one. Why don't you tell me more about this reunion of yours? Any cute girls you've been thinking of taking home with you?" She ventured into the topic with a curiosity she always held for it.

"The friend reunion was actually a great experience for once. It's been practically half a century since I've seen them. Strangely, though, they seem like they haven't aged at all. Any cute girls, you say? Plenty of them were around, but I'm not interested in those older, mature types." He laughed to himself, as if he carried a running gag. I never get what's so funny every time he talks about his friend reunion.

RING! RING! RING!

Tadase apologized to me and brought the phone up to his ear. A muffled voice whispered the phone. If Amu wasn't sane, she could've sworn I heard my name.

"Rima, I thought I told you not to call me." Tadase whispered into his phone.

_Rima…_ Amu felt a sudden pull to that name. She felt as if she knew her… as if they were once the best of friends.

"I'm sorry, Amu. I've got to go. Family issues." Tadase sneaked back into his apartment, leaving me out in the cold. Amu decided to let go of another topic—yet again. With Tadase, she always seemed like she was running in circles, never getting the answers she wanted, just these excuses he left her.

After a moment of embracing the cool, night air, Amu retreated back into her abode; but this time, a man who never cared for her stood at the doorway of her room. This man with those callous emerald eyes piercing from those pits and those dirty blond spikes shooting from his head was, of course, her father Hinamori Tsumugu.

"Hinamori Amu, what have you been doing outside?" He spoke with that authoritative tone of his. She hated the way he acted as if he owned her life. The fact that he was standing there without any concern for her caused her jaw to set.

"What are you doing here, Papa?" Amu answered. The wild side of her craved to stare straight into this monster's eyes and show him the strong girl I was. The tamed side feared her father and wanted to tear away from his gaze. So far, the side, untethered by any chains or seals, challenged that gaze with a fiercer one.

"What's so wrong about seeing my daughter? I am the one who created you." Tsumugu responded to her set gaze with a nasty smirk, as if he knew she wouldn't be able to take on the challenge.

"_Creating me doesn't mean you own me." _The words were on the tip of her tongue. He could see the battle of light and dark commence in her eyes.

"What do you want to say to that?" He eased a step forward with his arms crossed. Right as his step fell, Amu's fingers fiddled with her nightgown nervously.

"… I need to sleep. Papa, go somewhere else for now." Amu's docile side took over and surrendered.

"That's right." The smirk twisted into a triumphant grin. With a startling jolt, the teenage girl noticed her father's eyes turn red. "Now, Amu, listen to the words coming out of my mouth. I need you to live with your aunt in England. You've got that?" Amu felt like she was in somewhat of a trance but snapped her head back as if awakened.

"No! Why would I go there?" The wild side came back to snap at this demonic father.

"How could that not work?..." Tsumugu contemplated to himself yet quickly gathered back his sense. "Amu, I demand respect. You will listen to you father!"

"If you can't respect me, you don't deserve any respect." She seethed back at him. For a strange reason, Tsumugu looked into her eyes shocked. For one of the first times of her life, she saw him shaken up inside.

"We will talk later." Her father retreated back into the hallway, closing the door behind him. After a moment to make sure he was away, Amu plopped herself onto her pink bed. Her petite body sunk deep into the warm comforters.

"I really need a break from my life." Amu whispered to herself. Clasping her hands over her watery eyes, she nestled into the blankets.

"_Personally, I think your life is just about to get a whole lot better." _That same lovely voice echoed in her head. Amu jolted up and looked around her room to see the intruder. Unfortunately, there was none.

"What are you doing here?" Amu spoke aloud unnecessarily, but all she heard was a deep, hearty chuckle for the next few seconds.

"_Amu, you know you don't have to speak aloud. Try to speak through your head." _The mysterious man instructed her.

"_Like you could hear up there_." Amu scoffed to herself, throwing the covers over her.

"_And if I could?" _He said with that overly excessive confidence oozing out.

"… _I swear to God I will—" _The lonely girl felt the man cut her off.

"_Honey, your words mean nothing to me. I don't believe in any god." _He warned her.

"_Who exactly are you?" _Amu asked.

"_Another time. I'm tired." _The arrogant man groaned. Amu just sighed. She couldn't exactly try to talk with an unconscious person. _"Don't even try to look into my dreams."_

"_I can do that?!" _She exclaimed to herself.

"_Amu, being able to do something doesn't you need to do something. If you want to follow me to my dreams, go for it; but don't blame me if you see anything you might not like, kid." _This irritating voice warned her with a slightly teasing tone.

"_Gross." _She thought to herself—no, more like to themselves—before falling into her own dreams.

**I hoped you like it. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own anything. My friend Sky once again opened my eyes. So, I plan to update more frequently; but I hold no promises.**

In her yellow pajamas with pink polka dots, the pale girl stayed still in her bed, once again battling the light and dark within her. Her bedroom—or more specifically, her bed—was her thinking place and her sanctuary.

"As long as my body lies in this bed, Papa won't pester me or command me to be someone I clearly am not." The thought put her tender side to rest. That soft side cuddled up to the warm embraces of the covers.

"As long as I succumb to my fear, Papa won't take me seriously and won't look at me for who I am." The thought vexed her untamed side. That side thrashed in the metaphorical shackles of the blanket.

The constant struggle for power drained her of all her energy, and every day, a miraculous pocket of energy within her would quench any of her fatigue. That pocket would either side with her light or dark side. Most of the time, it sided with her dark side, just like right now.

Amu ripped her covers off and forced her body to repeat her morning routine. Somehow, by the end of that routine, Amu was able to make it out into the foyer of the apartment, slipping on her shoes. Her dark side was able to pull herself out of bed, but her light side made a quick run for it.

"Amu, won't you talk to your own father anymore? Where are your manners? Sometime today, we need to take the time and look for them." Her father with his dark, sarcastic humor interrupted her runaway attempt.

"But, Papa, what would we ever talk about? Since you're never around, there's no topic to begin with." Amu replied back with her straight-darting glare. Her father just eased himself between her and the escape out.

"Let's begin with what happened when I wasn't here. You seemed to have picked up some unwanted company. As a caring father, I would like to know about this danger." With his cunning, deceiving smirk, Tsumugu feigned concern for her safety.

"…" Amu swallowed the deep knot in her throat before speaking. "I haven't been talking to anyone else, except for Tadase." She technically wasn't lying. What she had between the mystery man and her was simply thoughts going to and fro between them.

"Amu, if only you were better-mannered and more disciplined, I would've told you more about the mother who left you." His comment seared pain into my naïve heart, but unconcerned about me, he went on. "Since your sixteenth birthday is less than a year away, I suppose I should show you to the council. Tadase will inform you about the requirements." Through the front door, he left with the last laugh—like he always had. Amu just stood there, gaping like the incompetent idiot he envisioned her as.

"_Amu, don't you want to stay inside? Doesn't the safety in this small, quaint place tempt you to stay?" _The human inside her enticed the paranoid coward within her. The creature within her followed closely behind. _"Oh, Amu, just get out of here; and follow the call of freedom." _

**~Creatures of the Night~**

Right now, I wanted to do something, not keep thinking; yet here I was; standing still, thinking, and not moving forward. I rushed to the balcony door and pushed open the door to shower in the light. The pores in my skin absorbed and clung onto any ray of sunshine it could find. My arms extended to either side, welcomed the light. My eyes shut tight.

"Is the sunlight that great?" The voice I heard last night echoed right next to me. I felt the intense urge to look and see if this guy was as hot as his voice was; but the creature inside me wanted to experience the strange, unfamiliar sun, for once.

"Shut up. You're ruining this for me." I snapped at whoever was next to me, receiving the familiar, hearty chuckle. I threw my head back to feel the heat spread through my face; but I didn't need the sun for that. The "stray cat" next door, starving for attention, grabbed hold of mine. I felt the top of my head touch his chest, the tips of his fingers run through my hair from my scalp, and the intense gaze above me.

"Open your eyes, darling." His husky voice whispered to me, and I couldn't help and laugh at his nickname. His presence at my side made me feel unstoppable, but I would never admit that to him. He had enough ego.

"Would it be smart of me to follow an intruder's orders? At least let me know your name." I retorted back, allowing my body to fall into his and my arms to my side.

"It's Ikuto." He sighed in defeat.

"Ikuto?" I tried to see how the name rang and how it tasted; and I could feel him smirk.

"_Amu, _you know you want to see how drop-dead gorgeous I am." He teased me, and I giggled, thinking about the possibilities, if he was really hot… or if he wasn't. The latter thought made me full out laugh, and I think Ikuto knew what I was thinking, because he slipped his hands down to my waist and wrapped them around mine. I tried prying them off, but he hummed a no.

"If I see this supposed drop-dead gorgeousness of yours, would you let me go?" I requested a trade. He paused for a musing pause and hummed an agreement. I lifted my eyes to look at him slowly, adding dramatic effect.

Immediately, I could see what he was raving about. The impish mischief that danced in those deep blue pools considered eyes; the crooked, yet smooth smirk that eased onto his thin lips; and the blue, silky locks that tickled my face were probably only a few of the traits that made him gorgeous. The drop-dead were presented by the uncanny paleness of his skin and the stillness of his heart.

"Impressed? Speechless? Choose one." He smirked at me with his arms still around me.

"And if neither of them came to mind, what would you do?" Instead of being teased, Amu wanted to provoke him this time.

"Then I'd have to change your mind." Ikuto closed the distance between us by only a millimeter, grazing my lips. I could feel an intense heat spread throughout my face. Anticipating for his touch, I squeezed my eyes tight. This time, I was actually speechless.

"Amu, I want you to stay yourself when you become sixteen." Too preoccupied with my own thoughts, I had not noticed his hands and body leave me until I could no longer feel his breath fan my face. I opened my eyes to once again see that he had disappeared from me.

That man—no, Ikuto was able to raise my lowest spirits to my highest yet drops them back down.

**As I wrote the chapter, it was different than what I planned; but I'm going with it. Thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own anything. I get lost in my own books, and I always forget my life. Well, fanfiction is probably a portion of my life; therefore, I forget at about it as well. Sometimes, I fear that I may be autistic. On a different note, I'm going to switch up the POV's to different people. I just wanted to get you to know Amu for starters and then diverge into other protagonists.**

"Ikuto, don't contact Amu in any way. Tsumugu is concerned that you're going to get in the way of his plans." The blond man with boyish features sternly admonished me. My legs and arms sprawled on the wooden floor beneath me. This apartment was always empty.

"Do you really think this is the right way for Amu to live? Is it even right for us and Tsumugu to decide that for her?" I questioned his orders. Inferring by the hard look setting on his face, I knew that according to Tadase's strict dictionary I was speaking treason—or blasphemy, as he sometimes put it.

"Do you _hear _yourself? Of course, this is the right way. What other right way would there be?" My more experienced partner gaped at me. Tadase seemed like the stereotypical high-strung kid sometimes, but any other topic that didn't have to do with vampire duties would have shown Tadase as the courteous, friendly, average boy you'd see around. Thing was—Tadase wasn't a boy nor even a man.

"Amu should be able to live life, knowing the secrets her family hides." I responded, sitting up to make a point.

"What secrets are they hiding from her?" The arrogant creature, priding himself as a vampire, balked at me. I, once again, defied his vampire-revering principles.

"Hinamori Amu should know that her mother left her and her father once she learned he was a vampire. She should know why her father leaves her at home and that he still loves her. She has the right to know." I replied to another one of his questions. I looked off at a distant white wall, imagining the pink-haired girl.

"The Mortal doesn't have the right to pry into any vampire's matter. What does Tsumugu hope to accomplish by presenting the Mortal to the council is beyond… me." Right as Tadase finished his last word, his words finally caught up to him. Disgusted recognition of himself dawned on his face. He couldn't even look me in the eye. "Ikuto, you know what I meant, right?"

"Do _you_ even know what you meant?" I leered at him, keeping my anger at the barest minimum possible. I stood up from where I sat. In this desolate apartment, I could feel the echoes bouncing off the wooden floors.

"Ikuto, your eyes are red." I scrunched my eyebrows in thought, looking at the reflection of my red eyes piercing from his reddish-pinkish eyes. I sighed, shut my eyes, and thought about Amu's gentle yet fierce gaze. I lifted my eyes back to the reflection in his eyes and saw that my eyes reverted back to their azure blue… It actually worked. I didn't have enough time to amaze in the solution because Tadase brought my mind right back to the topic.

"I don't know what I meant. It just came out. I like Amu… Ikuto, I think you're becoming attached. Just drop it. She's just a—" I cut him off before he could say that word again.

"I'm going out for a late night bite." I relented and walked out onto the balcony. Luckily, Tadase didn't utter another word. I hopped off the balcony and made my way to the city. I didn't use my vampire speed, just the normal walking speed.

During the whole way to wherever I was going, I could only think of Amu. It wasn't for her eye-catching pink hair or her flaring amber eyes. It wasn't for her light, melodious laugh that sent sparks through you. It wasn't for the relentless conflict between her and herself that commenced in her eyes. It wasn't for the way she covered her worries and doubts with a smile. It wasn't for—.

"Wouldn't it be amazing if that guy was a vampire?" A girl squealed to her friend. It never ceased to amaze me on how the human race was fascinated in vampires, and it amazed me all the more when the vampire notoriety increased even more.

"Um, excuse me, sir. Could you drink my blood?" Her friend boldly leaned her head to the side, as her friend giggled in the background. With a smirk, I laughed to myself at how the vampires had this effect on people.

"Sure, but you have to promise not to scream, as well as your friend over there." I didn't have to use compulsion or any supernatural power. I knew how they would just compliantly do whatever I told them. They smiled and nodded with their neck arched to the side. I both pulled them closer, one arm for each of them, and bit them, savoring each and every drop.

"I wouldn't mind dying like this." One of them told the other. "I can't even feel my fingertips." The other replied back. I would've let that happen, but a goddess' voice spoke through to me.

"_Ikuto?" _Her voice twinkled like bells. In my mind, I could feel the frightful quivers that coursed through her body. I let the two girls go and hypnotized them into going back home, not bothering to erase their memory.

"_What's wrong, Amu?" _With the smoothest voice I could speak, I tried to calm her down. In the middle of the park, I sat down on the bench.

"_What, nothing's wrong. *sniffle* I just want to know more about you." _She laughed to herself, as if she made the stupidest excuse; but to me, it was the cutest excuse. Oh, that laugh…

"_Like what?" _I asked her, earning another giggle. She probably laughed at herself for being so stupid again.

"_Like how your mother was? How did your father treat you?" _She continued on with the thought. Having her voice in my head was truly a drug.

"_My mother…" _I tried to think of all the good things my father and mother was. _"My mother was a world-renown singer. Because she was never really home, the time between us would be sacred. She'd sing me a song, and sometimes, my father, who was at home as much as my mother was, would play the violin with her. I never really knew what a family was like, but that was the closest thing to family I had." _

"_Ikuto," _There she went again, saying my name with that voice. If she isn't careful, I'd do the worst things possible to her. _"Your parents seem so sincere…" _

I willed myself to ask a question that I was sure would break her. _"Amu, do you miss your mother?" _I could feel the muffled sob erupting in her throat and the "I'm okay" phrases she repeated to herself.

"_I-I miss my mother, Ikuto… And I don't even know where or who she is anymore. I only remember one thing from her." _Amu whimpered. She was probably huddling herself up in those pink covers of hers.

"_What do you remember of her?" _I asked her.

"_I don't want to say it. If I say it, I might jinx it and it might actually come true." _The sweet, terrified voice whispered to me, as if she were speaking a secret.

"_Hinamori Amu, you're strong enough to face whatever hits you. Face your fears." _I encouraged her. I wasn't doing this for me to know; it was for her to understand how strong she was.

"_I never told my father this, but my mother actually gave me a choice to come with her. When I chose my father, she told me that I'd become a monster if I stayed with my father."_

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own anything. I'm on Spring Break, and I'm already hating/ loving it. I love the idea of no school and days to myself but hate being constantly bothered from my hibernation. ****Please sign petition at my account to prevent the loss of fanfiction and all fan art. FANFICTION WILL END IN TWO DAYS IF YOU DON'T.  
**

The vampire with long, wavy, blond tresses strutted into the barren apartment with disdain for the blond boy in the center of the room.

"Tadase, let me meet Amu right now." The girl emulated restrained righteous indignation behind her forced smile.

"Mashiro Rima, how many times do I have to tell you that Amu is not to be bothered by anyone at the moment?" Tadase wagged a finger at her. The derogatory action spread an urge to rip his head off throughout her non-beating heart.

"Hotori Tadase, how many times do I have to tell you that vampirism is not that grand as you like to think it is?" She retorted a rhetorical question. "Why are you the only one who gets to see Amu?"

"It's not just me who met up with her. _Ikuto_ gave her a surprise visit." The blond emphasized his roommate's name as to turn her anger at him. His pinkish-red eyes searched her red eyes for any sign of mercy.

"We both know what happens when you don't let me. I might just slip into Amu's apartment and spook her there." She seethed at him.

"We'll see what I can do, but in the meantime, don't try." He caved in, granting her a smile.

"Where is Ikuto, anyway? I was hoping to catch a night bite with him tonight. He always attracts the best blood around here." Rima asked, looking out onto the balcony to see.

"He already went out for a bite. I think he's going to stay out longer though. He's been doing strange things lately."

**~Creatures of the Night~**

"_I never told my father this, but my mother actually gave me a choice to come with her. When I chose my father, she told me that I'd become a monster if I stayed with my father."_

I never had told that to anyone before. I felt relieved yet frightened at the same time. To take off the pressure and insecurities from my chest, I took a stroll in the park as I said those words. I couldn't sleep tonight again like other nights. Tonight, since my darker side had actually welcomed the light, I decided to feed it some darkness as a treat.

In my tight, dark jeans, my legs went one after another in a slow pace. Beneath my black and white striped, long-sleeved shirt with a red vest over it, my heart pulsed blood through my veins with an alarmingly loud pounding. The falling hairs from my loose bun tickled the side of my face.

I had thought that I was alone in this park, but a couple of high school girls took a stroll on the park as well, laughing and squealing to themselves. I didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, but their high-pitched voices were so loud I couldn't stop myself.

"Wasn't that vampire's body so smexy~!" The girl with her hair pulled back into a ponytail gushed to her friend, who apparently had the same experience.

"I loved his blue hair and blue eyes. They were beyond what I expected of a vampire." Her friend added. Wait, blue hair? Blue eyes? No, please don't tell me. I rushed to the two, blocking their way.

"What did you just say?" I asked. They giggled to each other and shared a look as to whether they should tell me. One of them took the initiative and told me.

"There's a blue-haired vampire down the path here. If you hurry there, he might drink your blood. I doubt it though. He's probably—" I'd already started to dart in that direction. I could hear them comment on how my speed matched one of their stereotypical vampires. I couldn't care less of how they compared everything to their petty little vampires.

I was nearing the end of the path, when I saw the most breath-taking sight from me. I took a halt where I stood, and even I, who thought the vampire race was the most deplorable idea, gaped at the sight of one. I couldn't stop my eyes from capturing the picture and seizing every detail. Under that white pavilion, the lean, pale vampire held his willing captive with a fierce strength. The bright blood fell from her neck into his gluttonous mouth. The moonlight stroke them just right, emulating the scene to a more picturesque moment. The sight was so appealing I think I even licked my lips. I was blessed with the sight of this creature of the night.

If anyone asked me from this point and on, I would have to swallow my words and pride and tell them that the creatures of the night are not at all disgusting in any way possible. This sinful sight made the heavens look like hell and hell heaven. It had upset my entire way of thinking. Before I could gape any longer, the creature's eyes pierced into mine. Those red eyes were more voracious and ravenous, and after seeing that sight, I wouldn't mind being eaten whole by him. Personally, I would prefer being eaten slowly and, if that woman's emotion was seen correctly, blissfully.

"Amu?" My name was muffled by the woman's neck, but it didn't take long before his arms pushed the unconscious woman down onto the park bench. His mesmerized gaze slammed me back into reality. The slow echo of feet pushed my red and black checkered sneakers back two steps every time. Once again, I swallowed my words again. I was forgetting what I revolted against those creatures. Their deceitful charms mesmerized you and left you with nothing but broken hopes and dreams.

"Amu, please." In any other situation, I would have died for a gorgeous guy to beg for me; but not right now. Every average girl would be running into his splendid arms, but I defied all those girls' principles and scampered to the other direction of his arms.

**If you really want me to update again during my one-week spring break, I will. The condition is I at least have to hear five good deeds. I don't care if they're from the same person. Just write it in a review, and if I do get five good deeds, I'll update within the week. I'm not forcing anyone to do anything, though. As a reader of Splintered, I understand how waiting for an entire year for Ensnared is going to be a hard trail so I'm letting you be able to affect the time period between this chapter and the next. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own anything.**

"Amu, please." For one time in my life, I begged for a woman's attention. Only this girl was able to captivate me to this extent. Using my vampire speed, I blocked her path. My foot moved to close a bit of distance between us but retracted when my eye caught her flinching and edging back. The only thing maintaining my hope and composure was the flicker of admiration in the flare of fear and uncertainty.

"Let me explain." An unfamiliar dubious voice emerged from my throat. At my request, her ears perked up. A cloud of innocent curiosity transpired in her honey eyes.

"What do you have to explain? We h-hardly even know each other." The girl, who feigned emotional stability, shrugged. The stripes under her red vest seemed to blur as she quivered in the cold. I moved to give her my jacket, but she shook her head, telling me it wasn't the cold.

"No, Amu, I should have confessed that I was a vampire. I just…" I tried to search for the one prime reason why I hadn't told her. Picking my words carefully, I carried out my thoughts.

"_I just did not want 'vampire' to define me. I wanted you to look at me," _is what I wanted to say and what I authentically and truly believed; but I knew that the words weren't a great way to begin my long absence. If I said that right before I left, my chances with gaining her trust would be close to nothing, when I got back.

"Hinamori Amu, you're the girl who despises and repulses at the idea of vampires. I know vampires aren't deemed for any respectable deeds or traits. All I ask is for you to give the vampire race a chance." Only a part of the truth escaped my lips. If I left with this, she'd focus on bonding with the vampires she met.

I could see by her distant look that my choice of words was for the better. For a long moment, there was only an uneasy, tense stillness between us. She heaved a deep breath and looked at me with reverence, but that respectful look only lasted momentarily, as the emotion, replaced by resolution, was cast aside.

"If it means so much to you, why not try?" Amu shone a smile, shining light in my dark world. My mouth opened to say words, but the words never left me, because a familiar blond materialized beside me.

"Oh, Ikuto, what a coincidence this is. I never expected to meet you in a weird place like this." The demonic little midget greeted me, acting surprised. I knew Rima would have done this, just to meet Amu; but why hadn't I prepared for it was beyond me.

"I'm so sorry, Ma'am. I think you've got the wrong person, but I understand from your short height that it was an honest mistake." I patted her head, derogatively. The gesture may have angered her, but I didn't care. She just interrupted my moment with Amu. I didn't have much time to dwell on that matter before she slammed her foot into my shin. I groaned and kneeled to nurture my aching leg.

"Ikuto, I don't think this is a good way to start convincing me." The pink-haired angel muffled her giggles behind her hand.

"On the contraire, I think I'm doing a great job. It's got you laughing, isn't it?" I smirked at her, closing some distance between us.

"You've got a point there, vampire." She confessed, hiding her smile behind her hand. My hand advanced to move that hand away from stealing a beautiful sight from me. A new-found presence stirred my attention and prevented any progress. Rima and I shared the same look, and she nodded her head in dismay and defeat.

"You should be getting home. It's dark, and we don't want you to be attacked by any vampires." I urged her, keeping my distance from her. With a weird look filled with suspicion, she moved back slowly.

"I thought you wanted to revamp my humanistic abhorrence to the vampire race." The human girl once again magnified the huge gap between her world and mine.

"Not tonight." I smirked back in farewell, taking in that last image of her.

After she was out of average mortal distance, Rima and I turned our attention back to the new presence. He materialized from the darkness in front of us. His eyes, that appeared colorless yet lucid with an emerald green, shot out from the pitch dark shadows. Stepping out to present himself, the moonlight contrasted with his auburn hair. The vivid color of his eyes and hair emphasized all the more by his pale skin. His deceptively sweet grin broadened at the sight of Rima's and my silence.

"What's up, guys? Now, Ikuto, what's with all that—drinking so much blood in one night?" Kukai, without a care for formalities, proceeded as if we were the closest of friends. That was the way he treated everyone—indiscriminate against age, race, or anything for that matter. All he concerned himself with was looking at the actual person. That trait of Kukai earned my loyalty and respect.

"Is that why you went off without me?" Rima, with her blank stare, pouted. Even before Rima was a vampire, she had trouble showing her true emotions on her face. The vampirism added to her apparent indifferent look.

"Kukai, I called you out here for a favor. I want you to protect the mortal girl you just saw." I requested. He paused and looked at me, searching into my eyes. His eyes always had an omniscient look, and today, he seemed to know more than he let off. Kukai let out a hearty chuckle, laughing at my ignorance.

"Are you kidding me? Of course, I would protect Hinamori Amu." Rima and I jolted back in surprise. How did he know Amu's name? Our surprise only fed his laughter. Before I could ask why he would protect her with nothing in return, he answered.

"Rima, Ikuto, why do vampires and humans only see in black and white? Can't there ever be gray?" His chuckles and laughter echoed in the desolate park. He definitely knew something we didn't, but this time I wouldn't ask. It would only provoke his taunts.

"You don't have to worry about Amu's safety. I vow on my vampire throne and even my life that I will protect Amu."

**I know I only got two good deeds, but I never said I would **_**not**_** update if you didn't. Thanks for reading. Thanks, **RealmeNevertobeseen **and **Guest, **for your good deeds~! **


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own anything. Quizzes, Tests, Exams, basic cliché student work. Nine to Ten week of school left. If you get what I mean.**

_I felt the ripple of pleasure and adrenaline course through me, watching the sight in front of me. His pearly-white fangs sank into her throat, spilling the glistening blood into his awaiting mouth. At the first drop of blood, his calm blue eyes graciously fell on his captive's eyes. They look as if they pity her somehow, although he gave her probably the purest form of bliss she'd ever attain in her life. _

_He doesn't seem to have any urge for more blood, yet he pulls her closer as if to comfort her, smoothing her hair. For some odd reason, I could hear the quickening heartbeat of my own neck contrast with her faltering one. I edge forward as if to suggest a substitution, but his eyes snap to me. His once deep blue eyes take a sudden turn to a hungry red. I could feel an intense desire and longing flare through the heat of his gaze, just like it does through mine. _

My body jerks to an awakening, and my upper body launches up to sit. A cold sweat spreads around me, and a shudder travels down my spine. In my bed, I hug myself, trying to reassure myself.

I could not have possibly just dreamt of the most elusive, irritably charming _vampire_. I could not but did… Hinamori Amu, what is becoming of you? What's next? Your father will love you… I sat there looking at my slender fingers that resembled his. I, stopped in thought, considered the idea of his loving me—of his genuinely, unconditionally, and selflessly loving me. My hands dropped to the bed, and a giggle rattled in my hoarse throat. Amu, stop dreaming.

Gathering my realistic beliefs and repressing the expectations and dreams, I trudged into the bathroom and took a quick shower. After the shower, I looked through my wardrobe and closet to find the clothes that best describe my mood. I slipped into some dark skinny jeans so that the darkness could blot out my worries. A black shirt, with a silver necklace with a silver cross, expressed my encounter with the vampire in my dreams. My fingers wiggle into an elbow-length, red, fingerless gloves. My feet moved into my favorite combat boots to express that I wasn't afraid to kick someone if I had to.

I walk into the foyer to leave the apartment, when my eyes catch note of the note on the wall. My father's chicken-scratch handwriting lay on that paper, and oddly, my eyes just adjusted so that I could read the note better than what I usually did—guessing.

"_Make sure to be home for dinner. We _need _to talk_."

The bubbling hope that my father would give this family, regardless about how small and pitiful it was, a chance; but I knew what it would be like. I remembered the prior dinners and talks. It was always his talking and never listening, and I always listened and obeyed his commands as if I was in a trance. No longer would I be that compliant, naïve idiot. I was _not_ going to that dinner. My hand turned the doorknob, and my body moved forward out into the hallway of the complex.

My eyes caught sight of a stranger to these apartments. I turned my body and gaze to the man in front of Tadase's apartment. He turned as well to me. His auburn hair swayed around the frame of his face, as he turned to me. His lips arched into a curious, anticipating grin, excited to try something out. His shining emerald eyes swirled into a deep red. People have to stop changing their eyes into that eerie color.

"Hinamori Amu, am I correct?" His red eyes fell deeper into their abyss. I shivered in slight fear, and my body somehow reacted to this man as if he held great power. The emotion coursing through me wasn't anything romantic; I'm sure of that. It was something along a camaraderie bond.

"Who's asking?" My eyes match up to his. A deep chuckle bubbled from his throat, and my lips curled to a small frown. What was he laughing at?

"Sorry, sorry. Kukai Souma, a friend of Ikuto. He told me your name." Kukai answered, but still his eyes watched my every move as if expecting more from a lower life form like myself.

"If you're Ikuto's friend, does that mean you're _like_ him?" I hesitantly call his species into question. I was entirely new to the vampire race. I knew Ikuto had gone out in the sun once on my balcony, which crosses out vulnerable to light.

"I guess the secret's out about the vampire race." He shrugged as if it wasn't much. He was right not to worry. Suddenly, a great ton of negative emotions hit me like a pile of bricks; and my untamed mouth spouts on and on.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with you there." I sigh, leaning my body's side on the wall next to me. His eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Well, you don't seem to be much shaken about the fact that the vampire race has been leaked. I understand your dauntless reaction. Girls squeal with glee about them all the time and claim they are real. What difference would it make if just another girl is added to their group?... Well, minus the 'squealing with glee' part for me."

"You're rather blunt this morning." He comments with a cheery note.

"Well, I would have more tact in other days; but as a matter of fact, I could care less about how people feel. As you can tell, I'm the most apathetic, selfish human being on this world. When you feel like killing someone, just come find me and make this world a better place." I don't even take the time to worry about what I just said. Right now, all I want to do is to die. My blank eyes stare up at his eyes resembling a cold abyss. His hands clench into fists, but he thrusts them into his jean pockets so that I wouldn't be able to see them.

"Ikuto should have told me you had a death wish…" As the words leave his mouth, realization dawns on his face. "Or you could just be going through _that_?"

"_That?_" My body may have felt like throwing itself off a cliff, but my curiosity has not left me.

"You can't ask questions, Amu; but you will be going through some random very extreme emotional disorder. It's important for you to stay in your home. Here I'll stay with you as well." He informs me, holding my elbow to lead me back into the apartment. A huge tidal wave of anger washed over me, and by the looks of his face, he could read my emotions.

"Whoever said you were going to come into my apartment." I screech at him, ripping my elbow from his hands.

"Amu," His eyes turned weird blue that didn't match his composure. "_Listen to my voice, and go into your apartment until I call for you."_ My amber eyes seem to get lost into his eyes, but a huge surge of boiling blood spreads throughout my entire body, reminding me of my own control.

"Souma, remember this. I don't listen to _anyone's _words unless I choose to." I growl at him. The same boiling blood rushing through my body reached my amber eyes, or at least that's what I felt. His eyes turned blood red.

"_I forgot you were immune to compulsion…_Listen, Amu, if you get out there, you _will_ endanger lives." Souma edges dangerously closer to me, leaving me no room to run.

"Why—" Before I could continue my question, a brunette, who only seemed a few years than me, materialized right next to him.

"Amu, do you excel in physical activities, like running? Sometimes, do you feel dehydrated from the sun? Have you had trouble sleeping lately? Do you ever feel there are two sides of you?" This new woman shot questions at rapid fire.

"Midori, we shouldn't tell her about it right now. With her in this state, the shock will just magnify and it'll become a greater deal on her heart and mind." Kukai tried to dissuade her from whatever she was going to say. By the adamant look in her face, I knew his words could have been the end of the world; but she wouldn't care.

"Hinamori Amu, you are a Hybrid."

**Yeah… Thanks for reading~!**


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